In this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, shows heavily damaged buildings after airstrikes hit in Aleppo, Syria, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016. Syrian government forces captured a rebel-held area on the edge of Aleppo on Saturday, tightening their siege on opposition-held neighborhoods in the northern city as an ongoing wave of airstrikes destroyed more buildings. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)

UNITED NATIONS – Syria’s top diplomat told the world’s nations Saturday that his country’s belief in military victory is greater now because the army “is making great strides in its war against terrorism” with support from Russia, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Syria is more determined than ever to eliminate “terrorism” from the country. The Syrian government refers to all those fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad as “terrorists,” including Western-backed opposition groups.

Al-Moallem accused the “moderate-armed opposition” of committing crimes and massacres against Syrians “that are no less barbaric” than those of Islamic State and al-Qaida. The Syrian government in turn has been accused by the U.S. and other Western nations of the indiscriminate killing of civilians, dropping bombs filled with chlorine gas as a chemical weapon, and torturing and killing opponents.

The Syrian official addressed the U.N. General Assembly’s annual ministerial meeting after frantic but unsuccessful efforts by the U.S. and Russian foreign ministers to revive a cease-fire that came into effect on Sept. 12 but collapsed after a week following attacks by both sides.

The truce was aimed at enabling the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid and paving the way for a resumption of talks between the government and opposition.

Syria was stepping up its military campaign even as talks were taking place between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the U.N. meeting on reviving the cease-fire.

As of Saturday, rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo had come under a blistering wave of airstrikes that residents said was without precedent in the 51/2-year conflict that has killed more than 300,000 people and driven half the country’s population from their homes.

The airstrikes killed dozens, toppled buildings and sent wounded people flooding into poorly equipped clinics.

Aid was never delivered to Aleppo, and on Saturday government forces captured an area on the edge of the city, tightening their siege around the rebel-held east.

Global reaction was swift and condemned the new Syrian offensive in harsh terms.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “is appalled by the chilling military escalation” in Aleppo and underlines that the use of indiscriminate weapons including incendiary devices and bunker buster bombs in densely populated areas “may amount to war crimes,” his spokesman said, adding that Ban considers this “a dark day for the global commitment to protect civilians.”

Kerry, called the bombing of Aleppo “beyond the pale,” accusing the Syrian government of “laying siege in medieval terms to an entire community.” Speaking at Tufts University in Boston, he demanded that Russia help bring peace to Syria instead of “an unacceptable precedent … for the entire world.”

Megan Barnes joined the Daily Breeze staff in 2014 on the Palos Verdes Peninsula beat and now covers Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and El Segundo. Before that, she was a freelancer covering LGBT news and her beloved hometown of San Pedro, where she probably made your latte at Starbucks. She loves iced Americanos and Radiohead and finally got to see them live on the “A Moon Shaped Pool” tour. It was magical.

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